i_hope_that For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.
diygifts Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.
cooking_club A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.
Hi everyone, I haven't posted in almost a year. But I am happy to say that I have continued in my healing process. My thesis is complete. I have come out of hiding and shared my experience with so many people. It helped me so much to feel like I am no longer hiding. I have worked through a lot with my mother and father. I have started doing reiki (an energy healing technique) and it has helped me so much, along with an amazing therapist who is also a survivor. I have finally found love for myself!!! At this point I am trying to really love my body the way it is. I want so badly to be ready for a relationship and my therapist is nudging me to go for it. But I think I am still scared to let someone love me. I am not sure exactly why. I was dating a man this summer and when he started to show signs of love toward me I began to have flashbacks in his arms where he became my abuser. This had never happened to me before. Because I never let anyone get that close before. I think maybe I haven't dealt with the feelings of love that I felt toward my abuser and that he probably felt toward me, however twisted it was.
I have joined an online dating site but every time I start to talk to someone and they want to meet I become terrified. I loose all interest in men and just want to be alone. I am still not attracted to nice men. I guess this is what I need to be digging at. It has been so nice not having the abuse in my face the last month or so. Maybe I needed a break. But I am so much stronger now. I know I can deal with this, I'm just not sure how to go about it. I can't afford to see my therapist for a while. I have pushed so many men away over the years. Now I'm hiding behind being extremely picky and still not liking nice men. I've come so far, I feel like being in a meaningful relationship is the last step for me. It is just taking longer than I had hoped. I know I can love someone, but the idea of them loving me terrifies me.
stepstomarrow When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.
Hello All, It has been a while since my last post, I discovered this site last year and was using it a lot more frequently in the beginning. I found a lot of peace just reading most of the posts. There is a great deal of comfort in the identification process. I could relate to every entry that was shared. I am ready to move on to the steps and will be purchasing the material in the next few weeks. I will be picking up my 14 year chip in AA in February and I am feeling strong enough in my recovery to continue peeling back the onion. I appreciate all the people who have had the courage to share here and I just want you to know how much it has helped. God Bless you all and have a safe and happy holiday ~ FM
taste_buds Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.
naturesbeauty Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.
i'm new to posting so please let me know if i am doing anything wrong. thank you. :)
i am grateful for this group. i used to go to meetings in oakland but now that i have moved into san francisco it is less feasible for me to cross the bay every week because of my schedule.
i am trying to work the steps but it has been difficult without guidance of someone that has been through it. i am about to embark on the 4th step and am lost about how to go about it. i am going through the SIA booklet of the 12 steps that have questions to answer at the end of each step. it is a good booklet but i need more help than it gives.
i was hoping that i can get a sponsor that can work with me through LJ or email to help me out.
thank you for allowing me to join this community. i will talk to all of you soon.
It is time for me to stop letting fear dictate my life. There are a handful of things I need to do that I keep putting off out of fear. I keep telling myself, "feel the fear and do it anyway."
I realized today that I may not be where I want to be, but I am not where I used to be. Thank God!!!!! It is Christmas season, and I am enjoying it. I enjoy the real meaning of Christmas, the Christmas story. I am not Scrooge anymore and it feels good. At the same time, I feel for everyone who is where I used to be. Christmas time is a hard season for so many. I know because I used to be one of them.
Yesterday was my birthday, and I announced on Facebook: I am thankful to have one more year to celebrate life and praise God. I meant it from the bottom of my heart. There was a time about 14 or 15 years ago when I was mad that I was alive. I felt I was only alive to feel pain. The years I have spent since then working my program have been hard. Yet I am seeing the fruits of my labor.
I still have my struggles. I still have flashbacks. There is one particular part of the abuse my uncle inflicted on me that haunts me. I think it is time for me to write another letter to my uncle, and then burn it. I admit I dread putting down on words what is haunting me. However, I am going to do it before this month is up!!!!!
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